John Dingell, longest-serving congressman, to retire

FILE - In this June 7, 2013 fie photo, Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., is celebrated by friends and colleagues on Capitol Hill in Washington, as he becomes the longest-serving member of Congress in history. According to AP source: Dingell, the longest-serving member of Congress, plans to retire. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 4, 2013 file photo, Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich. speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. According to AP source: Dingell, the longest-serving member of Congress, to retire. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

SOUTHGATE>> The longest stint on Capitol Hill is coming to an end.

U.S. Rep. John Dingell, Democrat from Dearborn, officially announced Monday that he will not seek re-election to his 12th District seat. The 87-year-old congressman took his seat after a special election in 1955 and has served southeast Michigan since. His retirement will end his 29th full term in Washington

“My standard is high,” Dingell said during the Southern Wayne County Regional Chamber’s Legislative Forum, at which he was scheduled to speak several weeks ago.

“I put myself to the test and I want to know when the time comes whether I can live up to my own personal standards as a member of Congress.”

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The congressman added he didn’t to leave Capitol Hill “feet first” or be carried off the floor of the House.

He said Monday he has no intention of leaving the region after he returns from Washington for good.

“I am not leaving the Downrivers and I am not leaving Michigan,” he said. “Deborah and I simply are coming home.”

Eleven different presidents have occupied the White House during Dingell’s tenure.

From President Lyndon Johnson’s package of civil rights legislation to Medicare to the Clean Air Act to President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act, Dingell has been a key proponent of some of the most impactful laws passed by Congress during the second half of the 20th century and beyond.

Reflecting the constituency he serves, he has long been a staunch supporter of the Detroit Three automakers and the union workers they employ, as well as a vocal proponent for environmental issues and the interest of outdoors enthusiasts.

Last summer, he passed the late West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd to become the longest serving man in the history of Congress.

“John Dingell has been a pillar of unique strength for Michigan and the entire nation in the U.S. House of Representatives,” said U.S. Rep. Sander Levin, D-Royal Oak. “His exceptional combination of legislative prowess and a deep respect for those individuals whom he prided in representing in Congress stands as a model of public service.

“His legislative accomplishments will be well recorded in the history books as they have touched every aspect of modern life, yet it is my hope that his wise counsel and deep feelings about the institution he cares so deeply about will be heard by all as well.”

Dingell has been critical of the nature of relations between the Congress and Obama. He decried the “careening from one manufactured crisis to another” during his remarks, but said that wasn’t the reason he’s stepping aside.

“We want to enjoy a little bit of peace and quiet and contentment amongst the people we have known and loved for so long,” he said, adding wife Deborah helped him make the decision.

Though his mind has remained sharp, the congressman clearly seemed to slow down physically in the last several years. He frequently uses a cane and often gets around the Capitol in a motorized scooter.

He said Monday his health played a factor in his decision.

“It became clear to me I am not doing the good job I need to be doing to provide services to my people,” he said. “I could be a second-rate congressman, but I won’t do that.”

Longtime California Democratic Rep. Henry Waxman, who, like Dingell, often championed liberal causes, announced a few weeks ago that he will not seek re-election.

His last tough election, he recalled last summer, came after he supported Johnson’s Voting Rights Act. Since then, just announcing his intention to seek another term was all it took to ensure a return trip to the lower house.

Dingell’s district has long included his hometown of Dearborn and today it also includes most of southern Wayne county and a portion of Washtenaw County. Almost as soon as word leaked of Dingell’s plans, speculation began that his wife would seek to succeed him in Washington.

Dearborn Mayor Jack O’Reilly, who worked for Dingell during the 1980s, said the congressman’s common touch and concern for his constituents will be most missed when the new Congress is sworn in.

“He’s so humble,” he said. “He lives a modest lifestyle. He does this because he has a passion; he loves it.

“His key to success was he always put his district first. He knew what was going on in the district, he stayed in touch with the district. Even when he was a full committee chairman, it was district first. That’s the kind of person that’s going to be hard to replace.”

“Whether you measure by years of service, laws passed or service to constituents, the United States Congress will never again see a legislator leave as an indelible a mark as John D. Dingell,” said Peters, D-Bloomfield Hills. “As a chairman he shepherded landmark legislation to make our air and water cleaner and provided stronger consumer protections.

“As a Congressman, John Dingell always fought for Michigan first. Whether it was fighting to save our auto industry or safeguarding our Great Lakes, he always delivered for our economy, our middle class families and for our way of life.”

Dingell, then 29, won a special election to succeed his father, who died in office in 1955.

Dingell’s announcement comes several months after longtime Michigan Senator Carl Levin announced he will retire. Democrat Peters and former Republican Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land are their parties’ presumptive nominees for this summer’s primary.